


All Along

by KaytiKazoo



Series: 2020 Prompts [26]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, Pen Pals, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:46:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27482182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo
Summary: Jemma has a pen pal named Skye, and a crush named Skye.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Series: 2020 Prompts [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985246
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	All Along

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 50 Day Fic Prompt, “It was you the whole time”, posted to [my tumblr.](http://kaytikazoo.tumblr.com)

Jemma had had a pen pal since she was sixteen, a girl who called herself Skye and lived in America. They met on a forum about their favorite show, Quantum Mechs. Fitz hated the show, so she hadn’t had anyone to discuss it with until Skye. Skye liked the fight scenes, and the way main character Clara McCleary looked in her tact gear outside of her mech. Jemma loved the way the science was accurate, and the fact that Clara was openly queer. They’d exchanged email addresses, starting to talk about the show first and then the conversation moved past that into their lives. 

Jemma could tell Skye anything, everything from her insecurities and her dreams to her favorite sweets. They talked for years, updating each other on boyfriends and girlfriends, on moves, on promotions. They didn’t use specifics, though. All Jemma knew is that she went by the name Skye, that they were close in age, that Skye was an orphan who had aged out of the system, that she had never known her parents. 

_I’ve never really had a family. All of my foster homes were temporary, weigh stations for my flaws. They checked me out, saw I was unworthy, and sent me on down the road. I can’t remember the last hug I was given. How sad it that?_ Skye had written once after Jemma had told her about her older brother James and his annoying habit of only referring to her as Wee One. 

_Well, I’d certainly give you every hug you’ve missed out on. I’ve been told I give the best hugs. I’ll wrap you up in my arms and bury my face in your neck because you’re certainly taller than me – everyone is – and we’ll stay like that for as long as you need. You deserve that, Skye, and I’d give that to you if you needed,_ Jemma had replied. 

Years passed, and despite how busy they were, Jemma always found time to write to Skye. She never told anyone, not even Fitz, about Skye’s emails. He would probably say that Skye wasn’t who she said she was, that she was probably some middle-aged man who was trying to get something out of her. But Jemma trusted Skye. She’d never asked for anything too personal, had always respected her privacy. Jemma had signed her emails with a J and that was enough for Skye. She never demanded Jemma’s name or location, or any photos of her. It was good. It was steady. 

_I was asked to join a field team for some research, and L is hesitant but I want to see the world, not just the inside of the lab. I want to find the ways theory meets reality, step into the practical, see the real-life cause and effect. I’ve almost got him convinced. It’s thrilling to imagine, though, me out doing practical science out in the world. Maybe we’ll cross paths if I’m not hiding away,_ she’d written the day Coulson invited them onto the team. 

_Please be safe_ , Skye had written in an uncharacteristically short response. 

Jemma had never imagined that she would meet Skye in person, not really. She was content with their anonymity. When she met Skye, the hacker Coulson had tapped for the team, it hadn’t crossed her mind that Skye the Hacker and Skye the Pen Pal could be the same person. 

Besides, Skye continued to email Jemma, and hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort so they must be different people. Skye the Pen Pal would surely tell Jemma if she’d joined a team and was saving the world. 

_I made a decision recently, and it’s changing my life for the better. I can’t imagine my life before this, even though it was a few short weeks. Some days are harder than others, some decisions nearly impossible. I wish you were at my side sometimes, so I could hear your thoughts. You’ve always been a brilliant source of inspiration and calm for me, J. I want to know what you’d think about this new life I’ve found myself in. It’s nothing like what I’ve done before. I hope you’d be proud of me. You’re the one constant I’ve had all these years, and I hope that that continues no matter what,_ Skye wrote. 

Jemma, on top of this friendship with Skye the Pen Pal, was becoming quite close with Skye the Hacker. Skye was sweet, and funny, and had an attitude like barbed wire. She wasn’t usually Jemma’s type, but really, “types” were comfort zones she was trying to avoid these days. Comfort zones hadn’t done anything for her yet. 

Fitz and Ward both had eyes for Skye, which wasn’t a surprise. She was beautiful, and bright like summer sunshine, just as warm and relaxing. She made Jemma laugh, and she felt safe with Skye. It was unusual that she felt comfortable with someone so quickly. Even she and Fitz had taken forever to get to know each other but once they had, it was permanent. That’s what she hoped Skye would become, a fixture in Jemma’s life. 

_What do I do with a crush? I made a crush recently and she’s so good to me. She’s never mocked me or made me feel weird about being intelligent. Most people get defensive when I’m smarter than them, but not her. No, she smiles at me and encourages me to keep talking, even if she doesn’t understand what I’m talking about. She’s never minded my tangents or digresses. She treats me much like I imagine a lover should. Oh, just listen to me, Skye. I have a small crush on a friend, and I sound like some Jane Austen character fretting over if the man she’s betrothed to will treat her well. I’ve felt quite dramatic these last few months, with so much change. I wish I could tell you everything, but I’m under contract not to say,_ Jemma wrote one night after spending a long evening with Skye in the Bus's lounge. She wanted to wax poetic about Skye for hours, but decided this would do. 

She got a reply when she checked her email the next morning, sent an hour after her own. 

_I know how you feel, actually. I met this amazing friend, you’d like them, and the more time I spend with them, the more I'm convinced I shouldn’t be anywhere else. They’re amazing, J. I’ve never felt more seen than I do at their side. I accidentally held their hand last week when we were watching a scary movie together, and it was the best twenty minutes I’ve ever had. If I kissed them, I might die. If I die, my collection of Quantum Mechs merch is yours_ , Skye replied. 

Jemma, following the Chitauri disease and her near-fatal skydive, curled up in her bunk with Quantum Mechs playing. Skye tapped on the door, and peered in at her. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah,” Jemma replied. “Well, no, but I will be. I’m alive, and I’ve got my favorite show here, and Fitz brought me tea.” 

She held up the thermos that Fitz had brought by and smiled. There was still an ache to her chest and limbs, but she was getting better with every hour. 

“Quantum Mechs?” Skye asked, looking at the screen in Jemma’s bunk where Clara was climbing into her mech suit to go to battle. 

“Yeah,” Jemma said, trying not to sound defensive. Everyone thought that it was too cheesy or two unrealistic, but considering the Avengers existed and was made up of aliens, super soldiers, and science experiments gone wrong, Jemma could look past realism. 

“I _love_ Quantum Mechs!” Skye squealed. “Can I join? I haven’t had time to rewatch in years.” 

Jemma grinned and scooched over in bed so Skye could sit next to her. She threw her blanket over Skye and they settled in together during the Battle of Spirits. 

“I’d marry Clara McCleary,” Skye breathed. 

“She was the first queer character who was so badass that I couldn’t feel weird about my own queer-ness.” 

“Wait. What?” 

“I know that sounds silly, but I didn’t know any other queer women until I went to uni and joined SHIELD. Clara was the first in-canon, openly queer character I’d seen, and it made me feel less alone.” 

“I just thought – I didn’t know you were queer.” 

“Oh. Yes. Almost exclusively.” 

“Huh.” 

Skye put her hand on Jemma’s and smiled. 

“Me too, for what it’s worth.” 

“Worth a lot, actually,” Jemma whispered out. They settled in again and when Jemma fell asleep, Skye stayed to fend off her nightmares. 

She woke up alone, and stretched, feeling infinitely better than she had in days. She was rested and hopeful. Skye fancied women, which meant there was a larger chance that Skye would fancy _her_ specifically. 

Skye liked Quantum Mechs, and Clara McCleary, and _girls._

Jemma paused as she dressed, and then the pieces of the puzzle that had been staring her in the face slotted together. She finished dressing and hurried out of her bunk. She checked Skye’s first, but she wasn’t there, so then she checked the lounge, and finally, she found Skye in the lab with Fitz. 

“Are you SkyeWriter?” Jemma asked without preamble. 

“What?” 

“SkyeWriter, the girl I met on a Quantum Mechs forum twelve years ago, who likes Clara McCleary and recently made a decision that changed her life. Are you her?” 

There was an unexpected tear that escaped from her eye, which she swiped away. 

“Yeah. You’re not – you’re J. _You’re J_.” 

“Yeah. I am.” 

“What is happening?” Fitz asked. 

“Holy shit,” Skye said, standing up and circling the lab table, heading straight for Jemma. “It was you the whole time.” 

“It was me.” 

Then, Skye was kissing her, her jaw cradled in Skye’s beautiful hands. Her lips were soft, and tasted like the sugar cereal she and Fitz fought over in the mornings. Jemma held her hips, stroking over her hipbones with her thumbs, small strokes following the curve of them. 

“What is _happening,”_ Fitz repeated. Skye broke away with a laugh. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for _years_ , J.” 

“Me too.” 

“Was it worth the wait?” 

“I’d wait forever for you, Skye.” 

Skye nudged her nose against Jemma’s, and Jemma kissed her again, soft and quick. 

“You don’t have to, I’m right here, and I am never going anywhere, J. You are my family, and you have been for longer than I’ve known anyone else. _I am yours_ , and I have been since that first message.” 

“I am yours,” Jemma echoed. 


End file.
